第52章

"Walter," he said, "when you've finished I wish you'd come up to my room. I got something I want to say to you."Walter shot a hard look at his apathetic sister, then turned to his father. "Make it to-morrow," he said. "This is Satad'y night and I got a date.""No," Adams said, frowning. "You come up before you go out.

It's important."

"All right; I've had all I want to eat," Walter returned. "I got a few minutes. Make it quick."He followed his father upstairs, and when they were in the room together Adams shut the door, sat down, and began to rub his knees.

"Rheumatism?" the boy inquired, slyly. "That what you want to talk to me about?""No." But Adams did not go on; he seemed to be in difficulties for words, and Walter decided to help him.

"Hop ahead and spring it," he said. "Get it off your mind: I'll tell the world _I_ should worry! You aren't goin' to bother MEany, so why bother yourself? Alice hopped home and told you she saw me playin' around with some pretty gay-lookin' berries and you----""Alice?" his father said, obviously surprised. "It's nothing about Alice.""Didn't she tell you----"

"I haven't talked with her all day."

"Oh, I see," Walter said. "She told mother and mother told you.""No, neither of 'em have told me anything. What was there to tell?"Walter laughed. "Oh, it's nothin'," he said. "I was just startin' out to buy a girl friend o' mine a rhinestone buckle Ilost to her on a bet, this afternoon, and Alice came along with that big Russell fish; and I thought she looked sore. She expects me to like the kind she likes, and I don't like 'em. Ithought she'd prob'ly got you all stirred up about it.""No, no," his father said, peevishly. "I don't know anything about it, and I don't care to know anything about it. I want to talk to you about something important."Then, as he was again silent, Walter said, "Well, TALK about it;I'm listening."

"It's this," Adams began, heavily. "It's about me going into this glue business. Your mother's told you, hasn't she?""She said you were goin' to leave the old place down-town and start a glue factory. That's all I know about it; I got my own affairs to 'tend to.""Well, this is your affair," his father said, frowning. "You can't stay with Lamb and Company."Walter looked a little startled. "What you mean, I can't? Why not?""You've got to help me," Adams explained slowly; and he frowned more deeply, as if the interview were growing increasingly laborious for him. "It's going to be a big pull to get this business on its feet.""Yes!" Walter exclaimed with a sharp skepticism. "I should say it was!" He stared at his father incredulously. "Look here;aren't you just a little bit sudden, the way you're goin' about things? You've let mother shove you a little too fast, haven't you? Do you know anything about what it means to set up a new business these days?""Yes, I know all about it," Adams said. "About this business, Ido."

"How do you?"

"Because I made a long study of it. I'm not afraid of going about it the wrong way; but it's a hard job and you'll have to put in all whatever sense and strength you've got."Walter began to breathe quickly, and his lips were agitated; then he set them obstinately. "Oh; I will," he said.